Sid, Buddy, Skip, Kassy, Joe and Tim are not on the rosters for the 53rd Annual Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game. But they have all helped shape this monument to Capitol camaraderie, a game that allows public servants to shed power suits and briefing books in favor of leather and lumber on Nationals Park’s elegant diamond.

“Play every game as if it was your last,” says every manager worth his weight in sunflower seeds. And for a handful of members, the 53rd Annual Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game will be their last if they don’t win re-election later this year.

As the U.S. national team prepares to take on Germany Thursday to qualify for the knockout stage of the World Cup, Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., wants soccer’s governing body to take the 2022 tournament away from Qatar.

Some ballplayers rack up win after win from the pitcher’s mound. Others bash hit after hit. Managers capture the coveted Roll Call trophy and put it on display in their offices. Any of these career paths can lead to recognition and honors.

Members of Congress frequently use terms like “camaraderie” and “fun” and “bipartisanship” to describe the Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game. All true. It’s also a place where they barrel into each, break bones, spill blood and jockey for influence on their own teams. In short, it’s an accurate depiction of life in Congress.

Rep. Silvio Conte, R-Mass., was an prominent figure on Capitol Hill during his years in office from 1959 to 1991. A major player in the Congressional Baseball Game, Conte was rarely seen on the field without a cigar. Capitol Lens dug into our archives to find some of Conte’s most iconic pictures.

Think it’s going to be a busy week in the Capitol, what with a full legislative calendar and House leadership elections? There’s just as much going on in the outside-work calendar, including a throw-down between members of Congress and the media and a telling of the Koch brothers’ tale.